What We Know
When Patek Philippe announced its yearly “run out list” (the models that were being discontinued and would soon run out), the most conspicuous change I noticed was the discontinuation of the 5236P In-line Perpetual Calendar. On vintage pocket watches, this was known as the “American calendar.” I love these watches, but the salmon dial and blue dials were gone. In their place—and in addition to the current collection perpetual calendar chronograph 5270P with green dial—Patek has launched a whole new dial revamp for these models.
First, for the 5236P in-line QP, the watch, with its platinum 41.3mm by 11.07mm case—housing the 31-260 PS QL caliber movement with automatic winding and 48 hours of power reserve, moonphase, and perpetual calendar—is now capped with a very surprising grey dial.
The brand says this is silvery with a vertical satin finish and a black gradient rim (sort of a fumé dial)accented by a white railroad track for the minutes. That matches the internal white running seconds surrounding the moon phase. The hands are now applied, charcoal-gray-colored, white-gold faceted baton-style hour markers that match the hands. The retail price is now $156,039 (at time of publication).
The 5270P, the spiritual successor to what is arguably Patek’s most impactful watch lineage (the 1518, 2499, 3970, and 5970), has undergone more iterations than any of its predecessors. Patek even went so far as to include watches that would normally have been off-catalog releases (the 5271P with diamonds or emeralds) in the main collection. Two of those dials, the red and blue dials, now shed their gems and are available as standard releases from the Maison.
There are twists, however. Now, the dials feature standard tachymeter scales and shorter pyramid hour markers in some places, since the dial space is a bit more crowded. But, in a move that pairs well with the nearly-matching the 5236P, the 5270P-015 now comes with a grey sunburst dial that is probably the most interesting and reserved of all of past and present releases. The specs otherwise remain the same, but it’s quite a change from the older salmon dials. The watches retail for $248,813.
While not mentioned in the title, it’s worth shouting out the new ref. 5204G, the successor to the ref. 5004 (my personal all-time favorite Patek). With longer Vichet-esque claw lugs and its unusual upside-down moonphase, it’s a striking watch. But now, with a bright blue soleil dial and red split-second chronograph hands and indications, the watch has a tachymeter scale. That’s perfect for a timing-oriented watch like a split-second chronograph, so it’s worth calling out. Retail price is $380,971, which is cheaper than basically any 5004 today, and it wears a bit more modern at 40mm by 14.3mm.
What We Think
If I were a Patek client, this stuff is what I’d be frantically refreshing the page to see when a new product came out. I’m old-fashioned, so I do like the older salmon 5236P and 5270P better than the current offerings, but I’ve heard from a lot of friends that they do really like the new grey dials on these releases.
The 5204G speaks to me as well. It’s a bit louder and probably oriented toward a younger clientele that Patek seems to be targeting. But I also think that a chronograph without a tachymeter (especially a split-second) is just kind of a shame. A few special-order 5004s had tachymeters, but putting them in the main catalog release is a smart move on the split, especially since the 5270 has the scale as well.
The Basics
Brand: Patek Philippe
Reference Number: 5236P-011; 5270P-015; 5270P-016; 5270p-017
Diameter: 41.3mm (Inline); 41mm (QP Chronos)
Thickness: 11.07mm (Inline); 12.4mm (QP Chronos)
Case Material: Platinum
Dial Color: Silvery with vertical satin-finish and black-gradient rim (Inline); Sunburst lacquered charcoal gray with black-gradient rim OR Lacquered blue with black-gradient rim OR Lacquered red with black-gradient rim (QP Chronos)
Indexes: Charcoal gray, white gold applied faceted baton-style hour markers (Inline); white gold applied faceted “obus”-style hour markers (QP Chronos)
Lume: None
Water Resistance: 30m
Strap/Bracelet: Various
The Movement
Caliber: 31-260 PS QL (Inline); CH 29-535 PS Q (QP Chrono)
Functions: In-line perpetual calendar; Day, date, month, leap year and day/night indication in apertures; Moon phases; Small seconds (Inline); Chronograph, Central chronograph hand, Instantaneous 30-minute counter, Perpetual calendar, Day, month, leap year, and day/night indication in apertures, Date by hand, Moon phases, Small seconds (QP Chronos)
Diameter: 34mm (Inline); 32mm (QP Chronos)
Thickness: 5.8mm (Inline); 7mm (QP Chronos)
Power Reserve: min. 38 hours – max. 48 hours (Inline); min. 55 hours – max. 65 hours with the chronograph off (QP Chronos)
Winding: Automatic (Inline); Manual (QP Chronos)
Frequency: 4Hz (Inline); 4Hz (QP Chronos)
Jewels: 55 (Inline); 32 (QP Chronos)
Pricing & Availability
Price: $156,039 (Inline); $248,813 (QP Chronos)
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: No
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